Rising Darkness
by Selene-daughter of the sea
Summary: Three years ago, Ash left after an argument. Travelling the world, she finds new friends and trains to become a Frontier Brain. Taking her place as a Guardian, she and her friends come together to take on a new evil. Will she survive? Who is the true evil? Only time will tell. AU with Fem!Ash
1. Six Months Ago

**Author's note:** Hello, my friends; I'm here with a new story that has recently started rolling around my head and in my dreams. Don't worry; I have a chapter for two different stories ready to post. =^:^= Now, this story includes a few ideas that I like from other stories, but I'm combining then with my own twist. This will be my toughest story yet, I'm afraid, but I'll do my best. I hope you enjoy!

**Key:**

"Hello" – speech

'Hello' – thoughts

_Hello_ – telepathy

_**Hello**_ – Pokédex entries

"_Hello"_ – person over the phone

**Warnings: **Will include language, Fem!Ash, dark content (not much, I promise), and info from all six regions, including the newest region of Kalos from Pokémon X and Y

**Ages** –

Ash – 20

May – 19

Brock – 25

Ritchie – 20

Paul – 20

Annabel – 22

Misty – 21

Dawn – 18

Max – 12

Lance – 25

Clair – 24

Sir Aaron – early to mid-thirties

Riley – mid to late-twenties

Lucy – 26

Cilan – 23

Iris – 18

**Disclaimer:** I do not claim to own Pokémon at all. I just really enjoy the games.

Chapter 1~

(Six months ago)

Ash looked out of the window of the room she stayed in while training with Spenser. It had been two-and-a-half hears since she returned to Kanto after Professor Oak had denied her request to re-enter the Indigo League. She had taken her Pokémon with her and began travelling, training her current Pokémon and catching new ones, while at the same time, Ash was getting ready to train to be part of the new Unova Battle Frontier. She would take the place as leader of the group.

'A lot has happened since that day,' Ash thought. Turning from the window, she saw Apollo, her Lucario, meditating against the wall. 'You'd be surprised at the changes I've gone through, Pikachu,' she thought fondly yet sadly at the thought of her first Pokémon.

Pikachu, while he and Ash had been in Kalos looking for a trainer to join the new Battle Frontier, had taken a powerful hit that had headed towards Ash. Ash, her eyes widening, had subconsciously used her Aura and had stopped any more attacks until Officer Jenny had come. It had been too late, however. Adrian, a trainer who had witnessed the attack, helped Ash, and proved to be what they needed. Adrian was currently training with Noland, even though the only known rank held in the group so far was Ash's, not that the others knew that.

_Is everything okay, master?_ Apollo asked, opening his eyes. Apollo had rejoined Ash in Sinnoh, still a Riolu at the time. In fact, he was the Riolu that Ash had helped rescue from Hunter J.

"I'm fine, Apollo; and how many times do I have to tell you? Don't call me master. We're friends," Ash replied, exasperated.

_Over a thousand times, master,_ Apollo said, amusement clear in his tone.

Ash groaned, glaring weakly at him. "I'm just thinking about the past. It's still hard to believe that this is happening. I'm just glad that Spenser allows me to leave for Aura training with Riley," she finally said.

Apollo nodded. _It is important that you can defend yourself, master, and with the attacks you've been experiencing lately, you can use it to see._

Ash rolled her eyes good-naturedly. She knew that he would most likely never stop calling her master. Ash also knew what he meant about the attacks. Ever since she had turned 11, her eyesight had started getting worse, in the form of attacks that caused her sight to black out. The attacks were getting worse, happening quicker, and lasting longer. She was already using aura to hide the fact that her eyes were going cloudy. Only Spenser, who she was training with, Greta, another of the Frontier Brains, and Ritchie, an old friend of hers who was training with Greta knew about the attacks. Spenser had told Scott about Ash's failing sight, and he was working on getting something to help once Ash's sight was gone for good.

"Something's going to happen, Apollo," Ash said, moving towards the bedroom door. "I don't know what, yet, but I have this feeling that something major will start soon."

Apollo looked at Ash, worried. He couldn't feel anything going on, but Ash had always been a bit more perceptive. _I'm sure it's nothing to worry about for now, master._

"Maybe," Ash murmured. Shaking her head, Ash grabbed her hat and went out the door. Around her neck was a necklace with miniature Cherish Balls, Poké Balls that were a mix between a Master Ball and a Luxury Ball, around it. There were six in total, though only three had occupants: Celebi from Arbourville, a young Lugia that she had rescued as an egg and Darkrai. In the middle of the Balls were three feathers: one was from a Cresselia, another was a Silver Wing from the Whirl Islands, and the last was a Rainbow Wing she had gotten from the Burned Tower in Ecruteak City. She absently fingered the three feathers as she walked down the hallway.

Reaching the cafeteria, Ash paused in the doorway. Taking a deep breath, she concentrated, using her aura gifts to see who was in there. Smiling at the three familiar Aura signatures, she and Apollo went in.

"Hello Ash," Ritchie said. He stood up as she approached their table. He and Greta had come to help Ash train without her sight after one particular episode where her vision went black. Celebi, while able to heal some of the damage, could only do so much and it was clear that her helping was only prolonging the inevitable. "Is everything okay?" he asked.

Ash nodded, taking a seat. "I'm fine, Ritchie. I've just been getting a bad feeling about something, that's all."

Greta and Spenser exchanged looks. They had taken to believing Ash when she got those feelings, but they truly didn't know what to expect. After all, she could never truly explain what she was feeling. "Can you tell what it is?" Greta finally asked.

Ash shook her head. "No, but I have a feeling that it's going to be big. We'll have to be careful, just in case."

Greta nodded, clenching her hand around her fork.

0000000000000

(Indigo Plateau)

Lance was currently looking over some documents, trying to figure out what was happening. Several Pokémon had been dying, each with a strange symbol carved somewhere in their body. 'This is getting worrisome,' he thought. Shaking his head clear of those thoughts, he looked up as the door to his office opened.

"Is everything okay, Lance?" Agatha, the ghost mistress of the Elite 4 asked as she stood in the doorway. It was hard to tell what she was thinking, but even Lance knew that she was worried.

"There's more Pokémon appearing with those symbols, Agatha," Lance said, rubbing a hand on his face. "I wonder if we should send some scouts to try and see what's going on."

Agatha nodded, walking slowly towards the desk. "The idea has merit, but you're not going with them. You have a responsibility here, but you can help pick out the scouts," she said. She may not be the leader of the group, but she was the oldest and the others respected her.

"Don't worry, Agatha, I wasn't planning on going," Lance said. 'Not yet, anyway,' he thought.

Agatha looked at him with a piercing stare before nodding. "Come then, let's send out the scouts," she ordered before turning and walking out the door.

Lance nodded, sighing as he shut the door behind the two.

000000000000

(Unknown location)

'Everything is going according to plan,' a man thought as he sat in a control room hidden inside a cave. He held up his hand as a dark purple aura surrounded it, and smirked. 'Soon the fools will send out who I need and then I'll wipe all the Aura users off the face of the earth for good.' He let out a chilling laugh.

"Sir?" a voice behind him asked.

Turning, the figure raised an eyebrow at the person. "What is it?" he growled.

"I just wanted to let you know that Team A is ready to begin their part of the plan, sir," the grunt said, shivering slightly. He may have joined the Aura Hunters, but it still startled him slightly to see the dark aura the leader used.

"Good, tell them they may begin tomorrow. After all, we must test out the effects of our hard work," the man said with a smirk.

The grunt bowed in assent and quickly left the room.

As soon as the grunt was gone, the man let out a chilling laugh. "Soon," he said to no one in particular. "Soon, I will finish what I started all those years ago and _Sir Aaron_," he spat the name, "won't be around to stop me." He smirked darkly. "There were two survivors last time, but their descendants won't escape my grasp this time." He laughed darkly, dark eyes flashing. In the corner of the room, hidden in the shadows, was a small dark purple orb. Said orb was steadily pulsing, ready to activate at any given time.

**Author's note:** Well, that was rather chilling, wasn't it? I hope you don't mind how I ended it. I wanted to show some of what is going on as well as the main baddie. Don't worry, an old friend will return to help but it won't be until next chapter. I hope you enjoy and I want to hear your opinions of the story. Ciao!

~Selene-daughter of the sea


	2. Two Months Ago

**Author's Notes**: Hello, fellow readers. I'm here with another chapter of Rising Darkness. I know I know, you're all wondering when I'll update my other stories, but life happens. I'll get to them when I can, I promise. I just suddenly decided that Ash's Lucario will have a nickname. That way, no one gets him and Sir Aaron's Lucario mixed up. Now, enjoy!

**Key:**

"Hello" – speech

'Hello' – thoughts

_Hello_ – telepathy and emphasis on words

_**Hello**_ – Pokédex entries

"_Hello"_ – person over the phone

**Warnings: **Will include language, Fem!Ash, dark content (not much, I promise), and info from all six regions, including the newest region of Kalos from Pokémon X and Y.

**Ages** –

Ash – 20

May – 19

Brock – 25

Ritchie – 20

Paul – 20

Annabel – 22

Misty – 21

Dawn – 18

Max – 12

Lance – 25

Clair – 24

Sir Aaron – early to mid-thirties

Riley – mid to late-twenties

Lucy – 26

Cilan – 23

Iris – 18

**Disclaimer:** I do not claim to own Pokémon at all. I just really enjoy the games.

Chapter 2~

(Two Months Ago)

Ash sat in the lotus position near a waterfall, meditating. Breathing deeply, she concentrated on the soft sounds of the forest around her and the Pokémon in it. It had been four months since Ash had returned to the island, and she was using any minute she could when not meditating to hone her skills. Riley had contacted her saying that her graduation ceremony would be soon and that a helicopter would come to collect her.

Hearing the slight shifting of the leaves that signaled their approach, Ash opened her eyes to see Shiftry kneeling nearby. The Pokémon nodded his head open seeing he had her attention and disappeared. "What did he say, Apollo?" Ash asked as she stood.

_There is someone here to pick you up from Cameran Palace, Master, _Apollo said, stepping up to her.

Ash nodded before collecting her Pokémon. Recalling all of them except for Apollo and Eevee, she headed back into the trees towards the Battle Palace. "I wonder who they sent," Ash ruminated as they got closer.

"Eevee Ee Vee," Eevee said, trotting along next to her.

_It's probably someone from the court, Master. Sir Riley did say that they would be sending someone to pick you up_, Apollo replied.

Once they reached the break in the trees, Ash saw Spenser standing there with his staff, speaking with someone. Approaching the duo, she bowed her head slightly. "It's good to see you again, Sir Markus," she said.

Markus, an older male with sort gray hair and dark brown eyes turned to her. "Lady Ash," he said as he returned the greeting. "The queen sent me to collect you for something important," he informed her.

"I guess it's time then," she said. "We can leave in an hour, but my mentor will be coming as well," Ash told him, heading for the door.

"Ma'am, Queen Ilene told me to bring only you," Markus said, perturbed.

"I am training her," Spenser said, as he headed into the building as well. "It would be prudent for me to see what training she has done."

Markus opened his mouth to retort when he saw Apollo glare at him. Sighing, Markus told the pilot what was going on. He would wait, and wonder what the queen would do when she saw the unexpected guest. 'Why can't Lady Ash do anything normal,' he thought.

0000000000000

Ash looked out the window of the helicopter as they approached the palace. Before they had left, Ash had changed into her Guardian outfit, looking similar to what she had when she had entered the Guardian of Aura Festival, since custom dictated that they wear the symbol of their position when meeting the queen.

_I wonder how Mew is doing, Master,_ Apollo said, sitting across from her. He kept an eye out for trouble as well as watching the scenery change.

"There has actually been a disturbance lately," Markus said, looking at the two. "We're not exactly sure what is going on or what is causing it. The Queen will have more information."

Spenser nodded his head, meditating. He was worried about the cause of the disturbance, but he was also slightly curious about Rota, as he had never been there before.

Ash shared a look with Apollo. She had a bad feeling that whatever was happening had to do with the uneasy feeling that she'd been having for a while. 'I hope everything is okay,' she thought.

0000000000000

(Tree of Beginning)

Jack 'Jackie' Walker dodged to the right as a blob of red attacked him. He was wearing his standard Ranger uniform of black pants, a belt with a pouch on it, a black shirt, and a red and white jacket.

"What's your position, Jackie?" a voice asked over the earpiece he wore. "We've managed to avoid the cells so far."

"Well, Judy, I've encountered the defense system and can honestly say, it's effective," Jackie replied.

"You forgot the collar I made to get them to back off, didn't you?" Judy asked, sarcastic.

"No!" he said quickly. "I just misplaced it."

Judy groaned. "Dang it, Walker, those collars were to keep you from doing something stupid." She sighed. "Where are you anyway? The extraction team and I are almost at the middle of the tree."

"I'm almost there myself," he said as he ran through an archway. Coming to a stop, he saw Judy and the rest of her team come through a different tunnel. In the middle of the room were two crystals each with a figure inside them. Not far off to the side sat a smaller crystal.

Approaching the crystals, Jackie saw a Pikachu in the small crystal, curled up in a ball. He wondered why it looked familiar before shaking his head. Jackie watched as the extraction team put the crystals containing Sir Aaron and his apprentice in the carrying containers for transport.

"I'd like to exam this place in more detail sometime," Judy said, coming to stand beside him. "The tunnels themselves are amazing, as is the defense system."

Jackie nodded. "Maybe you can sometime," he said as they followed the team down a tunnel. "That is, if we don't make anyone mad about what we did."

"You never know. Besides, with the return of Sir Aaron and his apprentice, maybe more Aura users will come forward," she said. With that, the two left the Tree of Beginning, unaware of the consequence of what expired here happened.

0000000000000

(Cameran Palace, Rota)

Once the helicopter landed in the courtyard, Ash stepped out. Apollo, Spenser, and Markus got out behind her and they headed for the throne room. On the way there, Ash squashed a sense of foreboding she felt. 'I wonder what's going to happen,' she thought as they walked through the doors.

"Apprentice Guardian Ash Ketchum and Frontier Brain Spenser, your majesty," Markus said, bowing as the group approached.

Ash knelt down on one knee while bowing her head along with Apollo as Spenser bowed his head in greeting. Spenser looked around the room, mildly impressed with the design before returning his attention to the front as Lady Ilene spoke.

"I'm glad you made it quickly, Ash," she said, nodding her head. "I am curious, though, as to why one of the Kanto Frontier Brains is here as well."

"He's my mentor, milady," Ash said. "I'll be moving to Unova once my training is over."

The person next to Lady Ilene spoke. "Yes, which is why you're training fairly fast?" It was Riley, an Aura user that Ash had run into in Sinnoh; he had finished his training and was now a major part of Cameran's court as well as her teacher.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I sent Markus to collect you," Lady Ilene said. "As Guardian Riley said earlier, you are ready for the final step in your training."

"What does that entail, milady?" Ash asked, looking at the two of them.

"The final test of any Aura trainee, Ash," Riley spoke up. "The graduation exam if you will." Seeing her questioning look, he explained. "It is essentially the same test that every trainee has taken. You have to beat Lucario and I in a match without the use of any offensive Aura."

Ash paled when she heard that. She had a hard enough time facing them both at the same time, but not being able to use any offensive attacks would make it even harder.

"May Spenser observe?" she asked. Ash knew that Spenser would let Scott know the results.

Lady Ilene and Riley share a look. "The rules state that either it be the three of us and the queen in the room during the test, or all of Rota," Riley said. "No exceptions can be made."

Ash nodded, thinking briefly. She looked at the two, a determined look in her eyes. "Then I guess that Rota's populace will get a chance to see the graduation exam of a new Aura Guardian."

"Are you sure, Ash? That option has never been picked before," Riley said. He hoped that she knew what she was doing.

Ash nodded. "I am, Master Riley," she answered.

Lady Ilene let out a breath, nodding. "The proclamation will be sent out to everyone then, so that they can attend the test in two days. This will allow them to get here in time."

With that, the word went out to everyone in the kingdom, including to those that were there for the upcoming festival.

0000000000000

(Next Day)

Ash sat in the palace gardens, meditating. Initiates were allowed to prepare themselves for the final test, so she decided that being mentally prepared would work just as well.

"Mew!" a Pokémon's cry pierced the air, wrought with worry and fear.

Ash opened her eyes and looked up. Heading for her was the Tree of Beginning's guardian, Mew, looking frantic. Spotting Ash, Mew flew over and began to explain.

"Mew Mew Mew Mew!" Mew said, panic clear in her voice.

"Whoa, Mew, slow down," Ash said, trying to calm her down. Looking over at Apollo, he began to translate.

_According to Mew, the crystals holding Sir Aaron and his apprentice are missing,_ Apollo supplied.

Ash's eyes widened and she paled. "What!?" she yelped, standing up swiftly. "When did this happen?" she asked.

"Mew Mew Mew Mew Mew," Mew answered.

_Mew says that she had gone on patrol and when she returned, they were gone._

Ash pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'll let Lady Ilene and Master Riley know, and then you may take me to the tree, Mew. I may be able to find what happened."

Mew nodded, transforming into a Zorua and fell into her arms. Sending a look at Apollo, the trio headed into the throne room.

0000000000000

(Tree of Beginning, Center)

Ash landed in a crouch as soon as Mew had transported the two of them to the tree. Riley and Lady Ilene were worried about what the missing figures of Sir Aaron and his apprentice could mean, so they allowed her to go check it out.

Ash looked around, seeing the missing spot where two crystals used to reside. She began to look around, seeing if she could spot any clues when she saw a Time Flower sitting nearby. "Of course," she said, hitting her forehead. "Time Flowers can record events of what happened. This may be able to help us find out what happened."

Mew came up to her side, head tilted as she wondered what the Chosen One would do.

Ash concentrated, sending her Aura into her palms to activate the Time Flower. It opened, showing the events of what happened and her eyes hardened. 'When I see him again, he is _so_ going to get it,' she thought.

"Mew?" her companion asked.

"Don't worry, Mew, I know who did this. I doubt they meant to worry you, but it was still reckless. Can you return me to the palace so I can let Lady Ilene know as well as chew...I mean talk to the people behind this?"

Mew nodded, and transported the two back to the palace. Neither noticed the small tinge of purple aura swirling around them before they left.

0000000000000

(Cameran Palace, Lady Ilene's Office)

"How did it go, Ash? Did you find anything?" Riley asked as soon as she appeared.

Ash nodded, but waited for Mew to return to the tree before explaining. "Yeah, I did. Luckily, there was a Time Flower nearby and it recorded what happened. I not only know who did it, but I know they mean no harm."

"What do you mean guardian?" Lady Ilene asked, rising from her seat.

"If I may borrow a phone, milady, you will find out," Ash said, courteously. She wasn't just about to demand the use of the queen's phone, after all.

Lady Ilene blinked before nodding. "Of course, guardian; I guess whoever did it, you can reach them."

Ash nodded absently, as approached the phone. She dialed the number and waited.

"_Ranger Union, where may I direct your call?_" a voice asked over the phone.

Riley raised an eyebrow, wondering why she contacted them. 'Maybe they can help look for whoever took Sir Aaron and his apprentice,' he thought.

"Is Ranger Walker available?" Ash asked, tapping her foot.

"_May I ask who is asking_?" the voice answered.

"Someone who helped return the prince to the sea," she said.

Riley and Lady Ilene shared a look. They both wondered what she was talking about, since they didn't know about all of her adventures.

"_One moment please,"_ the voice said.

Not long after that, Jackie Walker appeared on the screen, looking a bit harried. "_Hello Ash,_" he said, gulping. "_What can I do for you?"_

Ash glared at him. "Oh I don't know, maybe tell me why YOU DECIDED IT WAS A GOOD TIME TO TAKE THE CRYSTALS CONTAINING SIR AARON AND LUCARIO FROM THE TREE OF BEGINNING?!" she shouted.

Jackie gulped. "_How did you know that_?" he asked, laughing nervously.

"Jackie," Ash growled. "What were you thinking? I had an upset legendary I had to calm down and then I had to try to see what happened. Imagine my surprise when a time flower showed you and another group taking the crystals away from the tree."

"_We just wanted to bring Sir Aaron and his apprentice back, Ash. We didn't mean to make any one worried," _Jackie said quickly.

"Worried was an understatement, Walker," Ash snapped. "You know as well as I do the consequences of messing with a legendaries environment, especially since there's some trouble going on here as well."

Jackie looked shocked at that. _"What do you mean?"_ he asked.

Ash looked over at Lady Ilene who explained.

"There's been some trouble around here in Rota, Ranger Walker," Ilene said. "There have been reports of different legendaries attacking but there's never a set pattern and they never appear at the same time."

"_What's going on?"_ a voice asked in the background.

Ash looked over Jackie's shoulder and her eyes widened. "Sir Aaron," she breathed out.

Lady Ilene and Riley looked at the same place and they looked shocked.

"_Lady Rin?"_ Sir Aaron asked, seeing the queen in the screen.

"You're in the future, Sir Aaron. Lady Rin was my ancestor," Lady Ilene said.

The Lucario beside Sir Aaron nodded.

"_If it makes you feel better, Ash,"_ Jackie said, drawing their attention back to him, _"we were planning on returning both Sir Aaron and his apprentice to the castle as soon as they woke and were okay."_

"You'd better be, Walker," Ash growled. "Mew is frantic as it is. When can you get here?" she asked suddenly.

"_If we leave in an hour, then we'll be there around noon tomorrow. Why do you ask?"_

"There's a new Aura Guardian that's taking the graduation test, tomorrow," Riley answered.

"_We'll be there as soon as we can,"_ Sir Aaron said. _"It has been a long time since there were Aura Guardians, at least from what the Pokémon Rangers told me."_

"We'll see you then," Ash said and she hung up the phone.

0000000000000

(Cameran Throne Room, Next Day, Noon)

Riley stood to the side of Lady Ilene's throne, waiting for their guests to arrive. He had been asked to help greet them before he went to prepare for the test that would be happening in two hours.

'I'm glad that Sir Aaron and his apprentice have returned, but Ash was right,' he thought. 'Messing around with what they didn't know was dangerous. I'm just glad she knew how to calm Mew down.'

Lady Ilene sat on her throne, lost in thought. She was happy about the return of one of the old Aura Guardians, but she wondered how he would take the news about the attacks that happened days after he sealed his apprentice in his staff and sacrificed himself to help the tree.

Shaking her head, Lady Ilene turned to the doors when they opened, revealing the ranger that Ash had talked to the night before as well as the two restored guardians. "Welcome to Rota, Ranger Walker," she said courteously.

"Thank you, Lady Ilene," Jackie said. "I'm sorry about the trouble we caused, but we didn't know how long it would take if we asked."

Sir Aaron rolled his eyes. "Much has changed since I was alive, but this room hasn't changed much," he murmured. Spotting Riley, he said, "I would have thought that you would be getting ready for the test, Guardian."

"Lady Ilene asked me to be here to help greet you before I went to go prepare, Sir Aaron. There is still a bit of time before it begins," he answered.

_It is good to see you again, Lady Ilene,_ Sir Aarons' Lucario said. _I see that you have a new Guardian in your midst to protect you as well as another one coming._

Riley and Lady Ilene shared a look. "There will hopefully be a new Guardian in two hours' time, Lucario, but they will not be joining my court," Ilene said.

"What?" Sir Aaron said. "It is our duty to protect you and this land."

"The initiate already has a prior commitment, Sir Aaron, or they would have stayed here," Riley said. "Ash did say, though, that she'd keep an eye out for any potential aura users."

Lucario's eyes widened. _So, Ash has chosen the path of an Aura Guardian?_ he asked.

Lady Ilene nodded. "Ash travels a lot between here and her mentor's place to train. She'll be moving to Unova after she's finished with everything."

"Why doesn't she stay here, or in her home Region?" Sir Aaron asked.

"She is moving there because she doesn't like to stay here for that long," a voice from the right said.

The quintet turned their heads to the speaker. "Spenser," Riley said, bowing his head in respect. "I thought you were helping Ash."

"Greta was here with her trainee, so she went to help and I decided to meet Sir Aaron and his apprentice. After all, according to Ash, not many people can get two completely different people mixed up," he said.

_I was still muddled after being in that staff for all those years, Elder,_ Lucario said. _Anyone that uses Aura could make the same mistake if he or she had been in my shoes, so to speak._

Sir Aaron nodded in agreement. "That is true," he concurred. "We must also remember that even the greatest minds make mistakes."

Riley looked at his watch. "Excuse me, gentlemen, milady," he said. "I must go get ready. The test will be in an hour and a half and almost everyone that wishes to attend has arrived." With that, Riley left, heading towards his room to prepare.

Sir Aaron shot a questioning glance at Lady Ilene who chuckled when she realized what he was wondering.

"Ash decided to let the kingdom watch the ceremony, since laws dictated that only the teachers and the current ruler could attend or the whole kingdom, not just a person picked," she explained.

Lucario shook his head. _Ash always did the most unusual things,_ he agreed.

0000000000000

Ash sat on the couch in her chambers, meditating. She was wearing the pants that each initiate and tester wore for the graduation exam, but as she was a female, bandages were wrapped around her chest to keep from flashing the others. Even if it had just been her, Riley, his Lucario and the queen, each female initiate was allowed to wear a constricting band around their chest. It was the only exception to the rules, since they had to prove that neither fighter had a weapon on them.

"Are you sure you're ready, Ash?" Greta asked, sitting in a seat near her. Greta and Ritchie had heard about the upcoming festival and decided to see what it was. Greta was hoping to spot some new competition for the Battle Frontier while Ritchie wanted to see how well he could do in a tournament environment. Neither realized that they would be allowed to attend the graduation ceremony of an Aura initiate. When Greta had seen Spenser, she knew who was taking the test.

Ash opened her eyes. "As well as I'll ever be, Greta," she said. Around the two females were several Pokémon. Beside Greta was Apollo, looking grim. He would stay with the Frontier Brain and her trainee while the fight was going on.

_I'm sure everything will be okay, master,_ he said. _I'm worried that your yelling last evening may cause an attack, though. It's been a while since one happened, and they come quicker when stress happens._

Ash groaned, dropping her head into her hands. "I know," she moaned.

"Celebi, Bi Bi," Celebi said.

"It should be fine, Celebi," Ash assured her tiny green friend. "I don't think an attack will happen."

"And that is the attitude that will cause you to be blindsided, Ash," Greta said. She looked at the time. "I'll see you there. It's almost time for your test." With that, Greta left the room.

Ash rubbed her head. 'Why do I have the feeling that something is going to happen?' she mused silently.

0000000000000

(Test Chambers, Cameran Palace)

Sir Aaron stood to the right of Lady Ilene as he watched the assembled crowd moved around to where each would have a good spot to watch the proceedings. He spotted the Ranger that had been there when he and Lucario had been awakened standing next to an older man leaning on a staff, Spenser, he thought the man's name was.

His gaze moved to the doors as they opened, showing two cloaked figures along with a Lucario entering the chambers. He listened with one ear while Lady Ilene explained the rules of the challenge and that the audience would not be allowed in any way to interact with the test; nor were any betting be placed as it was a sacred ceremony.

Ash walked into the middle of the room behind Riley and Lucario, mentally preparing herself. She had wanted to do this, and she was now here, and she hoped that she would pass this test. At a signal from the queen, both she and Riley let the cloaks they were wearing drop to the floor, letting the audience see that no weapons were on them. She knew the rules stating that she could only talk to her testers and Lady Ilene during the test and she wanted to prove she could do it. In the audience, she spotted Apollo standing to the side of Greta and Ritchie, both who were there for the upcoming festival.

"Let the graduation ceremony commence," Lady Ilene said. She wondered how far Ash's training had come since she started.

All three fighters fell into different stances as they waited for one to make a move. Ash looked between Riley and Lucario then dashed forward, swinging a leg to try to kick Riley who blocked and threw a punch at her. Lucario came up beside her and hit her, knocking her back a few paces. Ash put a hand on her ribs, winded. Lucario had put quite a bit of power behind that hit. She got ready to dash forward again when she spotted the two Aura Spheres heading for her. with her hand up in front of her, a shield appeared, seeming to absorb the two attacks.

Ash gasped, falling into a defensive stance. That shield had taken quite a bit out of her. She was going to try sending their attacks back at them, but she didn't know if that was allowed. She dashed forward, engaging Lucario in a fight with fists, dodging and blocking until she felt Riley send an Aura Sphere at her. Since she was blocking his view, Lucario didn't realize what he had done and wondered why Ash had a small smirk on her face. Ash dropped down, letting the attack hit Lucario in the chest and he skidded back close to the edge of the ring, though he was still in it. Ash dashed forward and lashed out with a kick, catching him by surprise, and he landed on the ground out of the rink. He got up and made to reenter the ring when Sir Aaron's Lucario stopped him. Seeing he was out, Lucario nodded and took his place next to Lady Ilene to watch the rest of the match.

Sir Aaron nodded at Ash's tactics. 'Quick thinking,' he thought. 'Using his own partners attack to move him back and then getting him out of the ring. Not many guardians ever thought of that.' He watched some more, but then his eyes widened as Ash suddenly fell to her knee's, holding her head. 'What's going on?' he thought.

Apollo wanted to step forward and help Ash, but he knew he couldn't. Greta even put a hand on his shoulder to stop the Pokémon from entering the ring. 'I knew this was going to happen,' the Lucario thought with worry.

Ash turned back to Riley getting ready for another assault when pain flashed through her eyes. She fell to her knees, clutching at her head. 'Not know,' she thought. Activating her Aura Sight, she dodged to the side as Riley kicked at her to knock her out. She had to continue the test. Getting up, she kept her eyes closed, fighting off Riley's attacks.

Riley watched as his student fell to the ground, holding her head. He didn't know what was going on, but it looked as if Ash was in pain. He decided to end this quickly so that she wouldn't be suffering, but his eyes widened as the telltale use of aura surrounded her eyes and she dodged. 'I guess she wants to continue,' he thought as the two exchanged blows.

Ash mentally went through any Aura skills she could use that would be legal in her match when an idea, an idiotic one, appeared. She always did think best on her feet. Sending a mental note to Apollo to close his eyes, she brought out her Aura, making it flash brightly in the area to temporarily blind Riley. Opening her eyes and seeing small dots dance in front of her eyes, she could see him staggering with a hand in front of his eyes. Ash dashed forward, attacking with an uppercut that Riley blocked and sent back. Obviously, she wasn't the only one trained with blind spots.

Riley dodged another strike, blinking to try to clear the brightness from his eyes. He knew that she had pulled an easy trick to give them some equal ground and he was proud. It was too bad that he had trained with his eyes closed before. He moved in for the final strike to render her unconscious with a blow to her neck when he felt a strike hit his knee and he fell. A second blow to his head and he was out.

Ash breathed hard as she finally managed to knock Riley out. She watched as Sir Markus approach the downed Guardian and checked on him. "Sir Riley in knocked out," he declared. "The tester, Ash Ketchum has won."

Ash sighed in relief. It looked like mentally preparing yourself worked just as well as physically preparing yourself.

The crowd began to murmur as Riley stirred, getting up shakily. "What say you, Guardian Riley?" Lady Ilene asked, as custom dictated.

"Aura trainee Ash Ketchum has proven her worth as a Guardian," Riley spoke the ancient words. "She is more than ready to take up the mantle as an Aura Guardian."

Lady Ilene nodded. "We will let the Tree of Beginning's guardian be the final judge, but I concur," she proclaimed.

Ash stood tall, her vision clearing to less than it had been before, as a pink light filled the room. "Mew?" a voice asked. In front of her Mew had appeared, looking around the room. Seeing Ash, Mew flew into her arms, hugging her before backing up. Touching a paw to Ash's forehead, a bright blue light shone for all to see. When it was gone, Ash was alone in the middle of the ring with Mew gone.

"Mew has approved the new guardian," Lady Ilene said. "Please welcome Aura Guardian Ash Ketchum."

With those words spoken, cheers rang out through the chambers as the court realized that the test was over. The crowd left the room, knowing that a feast would come that night and they wanted to prepare.

"Well done, Ash," Spenser said stepping up to his trainee. He had seen the look on her face when she decided to continue even after the attack on her eyes. Spenser wondered how long it would be before she lost her sight completely.

"Thank you, Spenser," Ash said, turning to him. Since the test was over, she was allowed to speak with the other people in the room.

"Always thinking on your feet, huh Ash," Ritchie said as he stepped up beside her. "That was some pretty fancy thinking there with the Aura flare."

Sir Aaron nodded. "That is true. One cannot always be prepared, so they must compromise in any situation," he agreed.

"Come on you guys," Greta said, stepping up. "I'm sure Ash wants to get ready for the banquet tonight, so I'll take her to her rooms. See you all there." With that, the Frontier Brain put a hand on Ash's shoulder and the duo left the room along with Apollo.

Bidding Lady Ilene farewell, the other's left the room as well.

0000000000000

(Ash's chambers)

"I warned you that an attack would happen, Ash," Greta said as she led the girl to the couch in her rooms.

Celebi appeared nearby and focused some healing energy into her paws and placed them on Ash's eyes. When the light faded, Celebi moved back and shook her head sadly. There was no more she could do, as the damage was too great for her to help.

"It's not your fault, Celebi," Ash said, smiling at the time Pokémon. "I should have been more careful, and now I'm paying the price. I'm just glad that the test is over and done. I was honestly worried when the attack happened."

"You'll never tell us why the attacks started happening, will you Ash?" Greta asked, looking at the newest Guardian.

Ash shook her head. "I made a promise not to, and I plan on keeping it."

Greta nodded her head in understanding. "Well come on, then, there's a banquet tonight and in two days' time, a festival, so let us gets ready," she said, standing up.

Ash giggled slightly and stood, moving to help.

0000000000000

(Two days later, Festival Ball)

Ash watched the people on the floor dance, standing to the side of the room. She didn't enter the tournament, but she did watch. It was interesting to see Kidd enter the contest again. She wondered how the girl was.

"Will you not dance, Ash?" a voice asked from beside her.

Turning her head, Ash saw Jackie looking at her. She shook her head. "I'm not one for dancing, though I was forced into lessons," she said. Ash sighed. "I'm just worried. I keep feeling like something is going to happen."

_Is this the same feeling that you've been having for a while master?_ Apollo asked, looking at her.

Jackie looked on, worried.

Ash shook her head. "No, it's something else. Something is going to happen tonight and it will be the start of what will happen." Ash sighed, I need a breath of air," she said. With that, Ash walked out onto one of the balconies, breathing in the air.

"Is she okay?" Riley asked Jackie.

Jackie shrugged. "I'm not exactly sure, but I do know she's worried."

Riley nodded. He turned his head as Lady Ilene announced the end of the festivities and the current winner raised the staff to announce the start of the fireworks. As they started to burst in the sky, a roar shook the room as a figure appeared in the room. Riley paled as he saw one of the Pokémon that had been causing the trouble, Suicune. He rushed forward to protect the citizens, noticing from the corner of his eye that Sir Aaron was moving forward as well.

Ash heard the roar and quickly reentered the room. Taking stock of the situation, she saw Suicune standing over the downed figure of Riley, a small wound bleeding on his head. She released her Pokémon to help try to contain the legendary, with some going to escort the civilians out. The trainers sent out their Pokémon to help as well.

"We have to move Suicune," she said spotting Jackie and Sir Aaron in the room.

"How?" one of the trainers asked, curious about what Ash was planning.

"Ice," Ritchie said, perking up. "If we can freeze the ground out into the garden and get Suicune out the door, then there will be less damage."

Ash nodded in agreement. "A good plan, though getting Suicune onto the ice will be hard."

A Weavile used Ice Beam on the floor and moved it to the doors leading to the garden while the other Pokémon worked to get Suicune away from Riley. Once it was a good distance away, his Lucario jumped forward, picking him up. "Now!" Ash shouted the Pokémon worked to get Suicune out the door. One Pokémon accidently hit Suicune in the mouth as it was about to launch an attack and it glowed.

"We need to move now," Ash said, paling.

"Why?" Jackie said.

"What just happened is a tactic I've used before in my battles. If a Pokémon swallows their attack that Suicune just did, they power up quite a bit," Ash explained.

The surrounding Pokémon worked harder to push Suicune onto the ice and finally the legendary dog was out the door, sliding. Ash ran after it, though not before warning the others to stay behind and do damage control.

She ran out into the gardens and looked around, not seeing Suicune at all. 'Where is it?' Ash thought. 'The aura signature is familiar, but I can't remember why for some reason.' Seeing an attack heading for her, she moved out of the way, right as an Articuno swooped ahead. 'Not now,' she groaned. 'Wait a minute, Articuno and Suicune share similar aura signatures.'

Shaking her head, Ash released her Lugia from its Pokéball and the Pokémon let out a soft cry. "Alright, Lugia, can you get me into the air. We have a rampaging Pokémon to stop but I don't want you to get hurt."

Lugia nodded and motioned for her to get on. Once Ash was on, Lugia took off into the air, and sped after Articuno, sharing attacks with it to try to knock it off balance.

'Why does Articuno's signature seem so familiar?' Ash thought as she fought to stay on her young Pokémon's back. She would have used a different Pokémon, but Charizard was currently still in her room. She concentrated and paled. 'Wait a minute, that's Mew!' she realized. "Lugia get me closer. I have an idea."

Lugia looked at her trainer in worry but nodded. Getting above the rampaging Articuno, Ash fell off Lugia's back and landed on Articuno. The bird squawked in surprise and began to fall, tired from the fighting. Putting her hands on Articuno's back, Ash concentrated and began to pull the Aura forward.

'Why is it so dark?' she wondered silently. Shaking her head, Ash began to push her own Aura into Articuno to try to calm the Pokémon down, while at the same time, the dark aura was absorbed into her. As the exchange continued, a light surrounded the duo and once it cleared, Ash had a tight hold on Mew, who was unconscious. She pelted the rapidly approaching ground with Aura Spheres to try to slow down their ascent, but they were falling to fast. Suddenly, a blur shot at them and caught them before they hit the trees.

Looking at their rescuer, Ash saw a Blaziken holding her as he jumped to the ground. "Thanks Blaziken," she said.

Blaziken nodded and they soon reached the ground. Seeing the group approaching, Ash smiled slightly before her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fainted.

**Author's note:** Phew, that was a long chapter. One of my longest, I must say. A lot more to cover in this area as well. If you are wondering why I'm skipping times, it is so that I can get to the main focus of the story faster. The main parts will start in two chapters, but I wanted to get out the chapters that lead up to it as well. Hope you don't mind.

~Selene-daughter of the sea


End file.
